Town looks to hire labor attorney

WINSTED — The Board of Selectmen authorized Town Manager Dale Martin at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 6, to enter into negotiations with law firm Ryan and Ryan LLC to serve as the town’s labor attorney The vote was six to one, with only Mayor Maryann Welcome voting against the authorization.The town previously employed the law firm of Halloran and Sage of Hartford as its labor attorney, starting in 2009 with a two-year contract. However, the town’s contract with the law firm ended in November.As Martin explained in his action request to the selectmen, he solicited Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from various law firms and attorneys in December.In response, Martin received RFQ submissions from seven law firms.At Monday’s meeting, Martin said he whittled the list of potential law firms down to two firms after reviewing submissions and contacting references.The two law firms were Shipman and Goodwin Counselors at Law from Hartford, and Ryan and Ryan LLC from New Haven and New London.Martin invited representatives from the law firms to make presentations and answer questions from the selectmen at the meeting.“Both of these firms were head and shoulders above the other ones,” Martin said. “They have both received great references, not just from the ones they gave me, but other references that I checked into. I think the town will be well served by either one of these firms, and I don’t think you can make a bad choice this evening.”Selectman Candy Perez asked representatives from both law firms how they could help take the town forward.Lisa Mehta from Shipman and Goodwin said their firm would would research contract histories.“We would look at some of the issues at different points of time from different town managers,” Mehta said. “We would also look at where there may have been some clerical issues in the contracts. We would talk with the town about their goals and determine how we can address issues.”William Ryan, from Ryan and Ryan LLC, said he would first meet with Martin to go through collective bargaining agreements.“I would also sit down with department heads and determine, from a language standpoint, if there is any language in their contracts impeding their ability to operate their departments correctly,” Ryan said. “As for employee benefits, I think we have to be creative in order to see substantial savings. You have to think outside of the box.”Martin explained to the board that the RFQ proposals are not based on fee schedules.As part of the selection process, Martin requested that all firms submit their fee schedules to the town in sealed envelopes.“I told all applicants that those fee schedules will remained sealed until the selectmen direct me to enter negotiations with who they find most qualified,” Martin said. “If the fee schedule turns out to be too high, I will work with the law firm to get the fees manageable to the town’s perspective. If we can’t do that, we will tell them that we can’t afford their fees and move on to the next applicant. We are basing a decision on integrity, and we are not basing it primarily on costs.”The motion to authorize Martin to enter into negotiations with Ryan and Ryan was made by Selectman Glenn Albanesius and seconded by Selectman George Closson.Mayor Welcome did not say why she voted against the motion at the meeting.

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